Hinge for blinds



(No Model.) I

.G. W. PARKER. HINGE FOR BLINDS.

No. 553,931. Patented Feb. 4, 1896.

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UNTTED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

GEORGE W. PARKER, OF MINNEAPOLIS, MINNESOTA.

HINGE FOR BLlNDS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 553,931, dated February 4, 1896.

Application filed A il 13, 1895.

To (all whont it may concern:

Be it known that I, GEORGE W. PARKER, a citizen of the United States, residing at Minneapolis, in the county of Hennepin and State of Minnesota, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Hinges for Blinds and other Articles; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

My invention has for its object to provide a slip-joint hinge and other co-operating devices for use on blinds, shutters, roll-top desks, and other articles, wherein it is desirable to connect together two slats or other bodies with freedom for pivotal motion, and a limited sliding or slip motion crosswise of the pivot-joint.

To these ends my invention consists of the novel features of construction hereinafter described and defined in the claims.

The accompanying drawings illustrate my invention, wherein, like letters referring to like parts throughout the several views Figure 1 is a perspective view showing my improvement as applied to part of an illside blind, with the slats opened out or in a common plane with each other. Fig. 2 is an end view of the same when folded together. Fig. 3 is a detail, partly in elevation and partly in section, with some portions broken away for better illustrating the parts shown in Fig. 1. Fig. i is a detail of one of the joints, with the caps for the ends of the slats removed and some parts broken away. Fig. 5 is a perspective view of one of the slat end caps detached. Fig. (5 is a perspective view of one of the loop-like hinge-wings detached and one of the couplings or pivot-blocks. Fig. 7 is a perspective view showing one of the couplin or pivot-blocks detached. Fig. 8 is a detail in perspective showing a modified construction, wherein the slat-cap and the hinge-wings are formed integral with each other.

a a represent slats suitable for inside blinds. 7) represents open-ended metallic clasps or loops, which are adapted to engage over the edges of the slats a and form the wings of the hinge. The said clasps or loops Z) are shown as provided with brad-like flanges Z) Serial No. 545,572. (No model.)

on their inner ends for securing or assisting in securing the same to the slats a, as best shown in Fig. 4c. The said loops or clasps Z) have longitudinal slots 12 near their inner ends, and are provided with peripheral slots b through their crowns or outer ends for cooperation with the pivot-block or coupling 0 c. This pivotblock or coupling is an H- shaped piece, as best shown in Fig. 7. The parts 0 of said coupling or pivot-block are connected by the part 0 thereof, and when in working. position the parts 0 engage with the inner surfaces of the loops or clasps b, and the part 0 works through the peripheral or crown slots 19 of the said wings or loops b. The said couplings or pivot-blocks c c are put into working position in respect to the loops or clasps Z) by inserting the parts 0 thereof through the slots b of the metallic strips, out of which the loops 1) are formed, before the strips are bent into the form of the loops.

The slots b" are of a length slightly greater than the parts 0 of the pivotblocks when the metallic strips are straight; but when the said strips are bent into the form of the loops or clasps b the crosssection of the clasps is less than the length of the parts 0 of the pivotblocks. Hence when the pivot-blocks have been applied to the strips, as above described, and the strips have been bent into the form of the loops or clasps b, the said loops will be securely coupled together by the said pivotblocks, and the pivot-blocks cannot be removed from the loops without straightening out the loops. The hinge thus formed by the pair of loop-like wings I) and the coupling or pivot-block c c are applied, either endwise or edgewise, to the pair of slats a a, as shown best in Fig. 4c. The slats a are notched or cut away, as shown at a, to afford clearance for the free movement of the lug parts 0 of the pivot-block or coupling. lVhen the loops 1) are adjusted on the slats a to the properpoints, the brad-flanges b are forced into the slats and will operate to temporarily and more or less permanently hold the same in position. The metallic caps f are then applied to the ends of the slats by slipping or forcing the same thereon endwise, so as to overlap the hinge-loops Z). \Vhen thus applied, tack-holes f therein will be in line with some parts of the slots 6 and tacks g may be applied thereto for holding the caps f and the loops Z) in engagement with each other and securing both to the slats. The slots 12 in the loops Z) insure the coincidence of the tack-holes f of the caps f with the said slots 19 in the hinge-loops b when applied in working position, without requiring any special accuracy in the formation of the loops and the caps or exact sizes in the slats, and the said slots b also afford a means of rendering the hingeloops Z) adj ustable in respect to the caps f, as may be desirable for properly spacing the slats a in respect to each other. The said slot-and-tack connection between the loops l) and the caps f also render the loops, and consequently the hinges of which they form part, automatically adjustable to compensate for unequal shrinkage of the slats. Both the loops 1) and the caps fare preferably made of spring metal, and when applied so as to cause the caps fto overlap the brad-secured loops bwill hold their position with considerable firmness and security, even without the use of the tacks g.

It is obvious that the hinge formed by the loops Z) and the couplings c 0, applied as described, will afford a slip-joint connection between the pairs of slats which will permit the slats to have a free pivotal motion in respect to each other, and also to have a limited sliding or slip motion crosswise of the pivotjoint. This slip motion will permit the slats to buckle or overlap at their joined edges, or to turn in either direction, so as to fold over each other.

The caps fhave attached thereto rings h, which are shown as secured to the caps by staples h for use in the ordinary way.

In the modification shown in Fig. 8 the caps f are shown as formed integral with parts If If, which make up the loops or wings of the hinges. The parts Z) and b are respectively integral with opposite sides of the caps f and are bent to join the other sides thereof, as shown in Fig. 8. The said parts I) and b are separated su fticiently to form the slots b in the crowns of the loops for the application and action of the part c of the pivotblocks or couplings c c. The said couplings c 0 would be applied, in the construction shown in Fig. 8, before, at least, one of the said parts I) and Z) was bent into the loop-like form.

The construction shown in Fig. 8 will answer fairly well, but is not the full mechanical equivalent of the construction shown in the other views, wherein the caps and the loops are formed in separate pieces and adjustably connected, as hitherto described, when in position on the slats.

It will, of course, be understood that all the metallic parts herein described maybe readily stamped out from sheet metal, and may, therefore, be produced at small cost.

Although the slip-joint hinge herein disclosed was especially designed for the class of articles hitherto noted, it will be understood that the said hinge is capable of general application for connecting all kinds of bodies, wherein the peculiar compound motion available therefrom is desirable.

The amount of the slip motion may, of course, be varied at will by shortening or extending the crown-slots b of the loops Z), through which the part c of the pivot-block or coupling 0 0 works.

It should be noted that the crowns of the hinge-loops Z) serve as bearing-surfaces for taking the wearing action under the pivotal and slip motions of the slats aa in respect to each other. This, of course, avoids the abrasion which would otherwise be produced on the wooden slats.

The caps f, in co-operation with the loops I), serve, of course, to bind and reinforce the ends of the slats, so as to prevent the same from splitting or becoming worn on their edges under the service.

All the metallic parts may be nickel-plated, and when properly applied have an ornamental et'fect on the blinds.

Vhat I claim, and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States, is as follows:

1. The combination with a pair of slats or other parts to be pivotally connected, of a slip-joint hinge, comprising loop or clasp like wings, adapted to engage over the ends or edges of the slats, and having peripheral slots in their crowns, and the H -shaped pivotblocks 0 0, coupling together said win with the parts 0 thereof, engaging the wing-loops and the parts 0 thereof, working through the slots of said loops, substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

2. The combination, for securing together slats and other bodies, comprising the looplike hinge-wings b, the pivot-block or coupling c c, and the caps f adapted to engage over the ends of the slats and overlap said loops, substantially as described.

3. The combination with the hinge-wing loops Z), having the brad-flanges Z), the longitudinal slots 1) and the peripheral slots 6 of the pivot-blocks c 0 coupling said wing-loops, and the caps f engageable with the ends of the slats and said loops and provided with the tack-holes adapted to coincide with the slots 12 for the application of a tack g to secure the loops and caps together and to the slats, substantially as described.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

GEORGE XV. PARKER.

YVitnesses:

J AS. I YVILLIAnsoN, E. F. ELMORE. 

